Seems like a strange comment from an educator doesn’t it?  Of course, Pink Floyd said it first –  and best – but I’m afraid I agree.

Success always starts with learning. I am not referring to university or college or even high school. Those are places that should (though often don’t) support learning. Learning does not require a place although it clearly requires an attitude.

When you are in a learning state of mind you actively seek information that will support previous ideas or show you the error in your thinking. You are open to clues as to what works and what doesn’t. Curiosity is tweaked – frustration and satisfaction occur.

Video games, in fact all games, are enjoyed because a person is free to explore within certain boundaries. Rewards are often frequent; consequences of making mistakes are swift and sometimes brutal. You can be coached. You can buy books to learn more. But in the end it is about winning – achieving a goal – and figuring out how to do it better. And wondrously, in the best games there is more than one way to get there. And in the very best games you can enjoy the process even if you never “win”. When you are so engaged you learn.

That is so different from what we refer to as education. Too often there is no joy in academia. Teachers who do manage to bring excitement, mystery and fun to the classroom win awards.

Does education have to be so devoid of joy?

In order to be successful there must be learning.

I often ask students why they decided to come to college or university and the answers are consistent along two lines.

There are ‘mature’ students – those who have been away from formal education for at least two years. They divide into two subsets – those who want a job or a better job and those who decided that they want the credentials that come from a post-secondary education. Not surprisingly, the first are primarily in the college system and the latter primarily in the university system – although not exclusively so.

The students coming from the high school system are quite stymied by the question. From the look on their faces it is evident that I may as well have asked them why they decided to get dressed this morning. College or University is just what you do when you finish high school. It is the next step. And much like getting dressed in the morning, the alternative, while available, denotes sloth and failure. You might do it for a while but we all know that sooner or later you are going to get dressed – or go back to school. And of course, the mature students are living proof of this.

Now you have to remember that I’m asking the people who did get dressed. If I were to poll the other audience I would likely find some compelling answers but that is beyond the scope of this blog.

The average high school to college / university student did not make a choice. They just came. We have them in the building. The question is: how do we get them to a learning state of mind?